High blood pressure is a chronic disease that affects around 15 million people in France. It is one of the factors of cardiovascular disease. But a simple gesture, linked to daily diet, could help to better control it.
Improve blood pressure by fermented foods
In a new study, researchers examined how fermented foods and sedentary lifestyle could affect hypertension.
For this work, they analyzed data from the American base Nhanes, which includes health information from tens of thousands of participants. They studied eating habits and the time spent seated more than 15,000 adults with hypertension.
Food has been classified into three groups:
- Those weakly provided with living microbes such as ultra-transformed products.
- Those by being moderately provided, such as fresh fruits and vegetables with the skin.
- And those being richly provided, such as fermented foods, yogurts …
In parallel, volunteers said – on researchers’ questionnaire – their time spent sitting on a daily basis: less than 5 a.m., 5 to 8 a.m., or more than 8 hours a day.
Result: the more people consumed living microbes and the less they were sitting, the more their life expectancy increased.
Conversely, each additional past hour seated increased by 6 % the risk of mortality all causes.
How to explain this link between hypertension, sedentary lifestyle and fermented foods?
Asked about this study, Alexandra Murcier, dietitian-nutritionist, is not surprised by the results. “Fermented foods have a positive impact on the intestinal microbiota, which allows a reduction in chronic inflammation, which is itself a vector of hypertension“She explains.
But that’s not all. “”These foods also contain inhibitory peptides of the angiotensin conversion enzyme, a mechanism that acts, to a lesser extent of course, like certain anti-hypertensive drugs “ she adds. “”Finally, their richness in antioxidants reduces oxidative stress, which also contributes to hypertension“.
Among the best foods to integrate into its daily plate are kefir, kimchi, plain yogurt, raw non -pasteurized, or even fermented vegetables.
“”The regular consumption of fermented foods, coupled with a little salty diet, can therefore be beneficial for hypertensive people“Concludes Alexandra Murcier. Without forgetting to reduce the time that we spend, on a daily basis.